A very special recognition at SIHH 2011.

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Greetings from Geneva. I am back in this lovely city on the Rhone. Being here brings back wonderful memories of my visit here just a few weeks ago while attending SIHH 2011 and the various Collectors’ Forum special events. Once again, I must thank IWC for the special invitation to attend SIHH and a very special thanks to MF for his continued support of IWC collectors and the participants here on the Forum.

This is a special edition of the travelogue of our days in Geneva. As you know, SIHH 2011 coincided with the 10th Anniversary of the IWC Collectors’ Forum. As such, the Forum attendees wanted to do something special to commemorate this anniversary and to recognize the very special contribution our esteemed moderator has made in making this the premier watch forum on the Internet. Without his dedication and endless hours working for us, the forum would not be the very special place it is to all of us.

The Forum attendees unanimously decided that MF should be awarded a Gold Medal for all he has done for us. To commemorate this anniversary and MF special place in our lives, a special medallion was struck to honor MF and the 10 Anniversary of the Forum. The attendees all had input into its design and wording. It was a secret labor of love. We had to be careful not to spill the beans to MF and we banned the “reply all” action so that MF did not inadvertently catch wind of what was coming.

The design was a group effort as was the minting of the medallion. Mark Levinsohn in collaboration with everyone did much of the design legwork, but as it turns out it was actually minted in Nevada. Getting the medallion to Geneva also took some teamwork. After minting in Nevada, it was sent to Philadelphia and Alan Ross schlepped it to Geneva. I think customs was a bit confused by what was in his luggage, since there was not only a Gold medallion for MF, but also there was a Silver Version struck for each of the invited Forum members. This post is delayed because the last of the medallions just reached its owner, who was not able to travel to Geneva, but is a very special contributor to the Forum. Cellar just got his via post this week and now we can share pictures of this very special occasion.

The fun in Geneva began at the Forums member only dinner on Wednesday night before we attended the full day at SIHH. We all gathered together for a wonderful dinner and MF had no idea of what was to come. Alan rose first to make a brief comment and handed the presentation over to Mark who did a wonderful job extolling MF virtues, but keeping him in the dark on what was to be presented. You can see by MF’s expression, he was truly surprised and honored. In fact at the dinner with the IWC executives including KK, he proudly showed his prize medallion. Enough of this. Here are the pictures of the evening and the commemorative medallions we all now will treasure.

Alan giving his opening remarks:

Mark delivering his great introduction and presentation of the Gold Medal.

MF’s reactions in real time:

MF’s Gold Medallion and Engraved Display box. The Moderator Mirabilis wording took weeks of debate on what to say. LOL.

His Medallion is sterling silver with 24 karat gold plating. His name is aslo stamped on the rim:

The Collectors’ version is sterling silver with our names engraved on the edge:

It was a special privilege to be an invitee on the 10th Anniversary year and to have this special memento of the occasion. I am sure the other collectors will now chime with their impressions of the evening.

Without an edit function, I can’t be sure all is well with the typing of this post. It is being done in a Starbucks right on the Rhone River overlooking Old City Geneva.

5,746 Discussions and CommentsMember since 2003-05-29T09:00:00Sarasota, FL,
United States

A couple of comments. In the time period prior to the presentation several hundred emails passed back and forth among the invitees. There was great pressure on each of us to not be the one that inadvertently screwed everything up by copying or forwarding to Michael. Although ostensibly this Forum is about IWC watches, it is really about the people who love IWC watches. The friendships made here are meaningful and lasting and worthwhile. It is really the best part of belonging.Congrats again to Michael. It was fun putting everything together and watching the absolute surprise upon presentation.And a special thanks to Mark who choreographed and organized most of the way. Love the logistics!And Bill, I can picture exactly where you were sitting as you put the post together. Hooray for free Starbuck's WIFI.

3,655 Discussions and CommentsMember since 2008-11-14T11:00:00Taylor, TX,
United States

Bravo! This was an exceedingly thoughtful gesture to commemorate our 10th Anniversary and the remarkable man that makes it all work! Kudos to all of you for making it happen...and thanks to Bill for sharing the pictures of the event.

Best regards,Jim

"We are the other people, we are the other people...you're the other people too!" Frank Zappa